Candidates step forward for Cannon Beach City Council

Aug. 16—CANNON BEACH — Candidates have emerged for the City Council in the November election.

Terms for the mayor and two councilors-at-large are expiring at the end of the year.

City Councilor Robin Risley, who was elected in 2018, intends to run for reelection. Lisa Kerr, a planning commissioner, and Gary Hayes, the owner of a media and marketing firm, have filed for councilor-at-large.

Erik Ostrander, who was recently certified, has emerged to run for mayor.

Mayor Sam Steidel and City Councilor Mike Benefield have termed out after serving two, four-year terms. The election filing period extends through Aug. 30.

The candidates for councilor-at-large said challenges like housing and livability issues that stem from tourism need to be addressed. The city is also balancing several major projects, including the construction of a new City Hall and police station, the redevelopment of the former elementary school, a code audit and a transportation system plan.

Risley, a principal broker at Cascade Hasson Sotheby's International Realty, said she is proud of the projects the City Council has accomplished and started over the past four years, including the work to redevelop the former elementary school her daughter attended.

She cited the improvements made to the city's water system and the city's efforts to continue the famous "mooing" tsunami warning sirens.

Risley also pointed to victories when the state sided with the city after it was challenged over a restrictive dune management plan and again when it was challenged over an oceanfront setback rule.

One of the things she is the most proud of is the monthly Coffee with Councilors meeting she hosts with City Councilor Nancy McCarthy. Risley said the monthly discussions are well attended by people of all ages.

"They're lively and people really care," she said. "And you get kind of an inside scoop on what is affecting each person that brings up a topic and a reason why they're concerned."

If she is reelected, Risley said she wants to spend more time promoting the arts and coming up with creative solutions to address affordable and workforce housing.

Risley has also served as a planning commissioner for the city and Clatsop County. She sat on the city's parks and community services committee and was appointed twice by the governor to serve on the state Parks and Recreation Commission.

"I really enjoy public service and Cannon Beach is closest to my heart, of course, so that's why I'm running," Risley said.

Kerr has served two terms on the city's Planning Commission and sits on the board of the Clatsop County Cultural Coalition and Friends of Haystack Rock. She is also part of the city's short-term rental task force.

Kerr spent over 20 years as a public defender and trial lawyer in Seattle before moving to Cannon Beach. Before her career in law, she taught dance at Portland State University and operated a modern dance company in Anchorage, Alaska.

Kerr still practices law and has worked with nonprofits, including the North Coast Land Conservancy. She also has a metalsmithing studio where she makes jewelry that she sells through a couple of galleries.

Kerr said she loves Cannon Beach and the quality of living in a small town, but she is also concerned about the direction the city could easily take.

"I feel very strongly about certain issues that I know are going to arise in the city over the coming years," she said. "And the big thing is, I'm really willing to do the work."

Her priorities include protecting the natural environment and quality of life and providing middle and workforce housing for families.

"I'd like to see it be a community for a wider diversity of people than just wealthy people who are able to afford luxury homes," Kerr said. "I think that if we tightened up some of our ordinances, we could make sure that there's some kind of a way to ensure that some of our land is used for middle housing and workforce housing and not just going for building huge mega mansions."

Hayes, who launched Explorer Media Group in 1998, has lived in the city for 25 years working closely with local businesses and publishing the visitor guides for both Seaside and Cannon Beach.

He has served on the founding board of Friends of Haystack Rock and as president of the Cannon Beach Arts Association. He also spent nearly a decade on the board of the Oregon Coast Visitors Association.

"Maybe more than anything else, I feel like I'm familiar with the challenges, opportunities and solutions for managing the impacts of tourism," Hayes said. "And at this point, I'm just in a position in my life where I'm beginning to scale back my business and I feel like it's a time that I can serve.

"I feel like I can bring the balanced solutions to improve livability for residents, steward our environment and maintain a thriving economy that supports those things."

Hayes said livability issues, such as seasonal overcrowding and parking, need to be addressed. He said there is also a need for expanded trails and connecting the city by bike.

Housing solutions that increase diversity, including workforce housing, need to be supported, he said.